The K League 1 Wrap-Up: Daejeon Hana Citizen Dig Deep, Ulsan HD Win Under Shin Tae-yong, and Cesinha Scores the Goal of the Season

With plenty to talk about from the return of the K League after a couple of weeks away, columnist Nathan Sartain recaps all of the talking points from round 25.

Friday Night Wonder Goals

On Friday night, two K League games gave us plenty of drama, and a host of noteworthy goals.

Starting with the league leaders, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors may have arguably been fortunate to come away with a 2-1 home victory against FC Anyang - the visitors were no stranger to hitting the woodwork and were a constant threat through counter-attacks here, for example - but it’s again a testament to what is being built at the club by Gus Poyet. This is now a group of players with pre-baked resilience, constant belief that every game is there to be won, and that the quality to see things over the line even when the situation begins to look hairy is well-possessed. Oh, and it helps when you get goals like Park Jin-seop’s opener, his thunderous strike from distance the perfect way to liven a game up.

Moving on, bottom-place Daegu FC were improved in a hardworking 2-2 draw with FC Seoul. Initially, it was a creative free-kick from Seoul’s Kim Jin-su which looked like it would be a headline grabber, his tight-angled finish certainly commendable for even being attempted. But as has been the case plenty of times over the years, Cesinha was ready to steal the show, this time through a goal of the season strike from just past the halfway line. Struck with the conviction that it would always find its way into the net, the Brazilian’s leveller sparked the Sky Blues into life, to the point they stayed confident when going behind for a second time, and even could have grabbed a winner of their own if it wasn’t for VAR intervention.

Whether Daegu still have a chance of survival is up for debate, but performances like this can at least ensure their fans have something to rally behind in the coming weeks.

[READ: The Highs and Lows of Gangwon FC in 2025.]

A Winning Start for Shin Tae-yong at Ulsan HD

Amongst the many teams currently jockeying for some improved momentum, Ulsan HD were certainly a club with an urgent need to get their season back on track. After all, it’s been a rare rough patch for the reigning champions, who went 11 games without a win in all competitions before round 25, parted ways with manager Kim Pan-gon, and for a while languished in the bottom-half.

Was Saturday’s 1-0 triumph over Jeju SK a return to form, then? Not quite. However, it was a dominant showing from Ulsan, who took 20 shots on goal compared to their opposition’s five, playing with a renewed sense of attacking purpose even if their winner had to come via VAR confirmation that Gustav Ludwigson’s shot had crossed the line prior to Erick Farias’ own involvement. Still, this is a platform to build upon now, and importantly puts less pressure on the task new boss Shin Tae-yong has at hand.

Daejeon Hana Citizen Find a Way Against Suwon FC

In Sunday’s highlight game, Daejeon Hana Citizen used a strong second-half showing to overturn a 2-1 deficit and defeat the in-form Suwon FC 3-2. For large parts of the first period, the Purples had the momentum anyway, looking good value for their continental qualification push when they took the lead through Choi Geon-ju in the first minute. Yet it was Suwon who came into the break leading, thanks to two stoppage time goals. The first, a calm stroked finish from Pablo Sabbag inside the box, with the second a long-range Luan Dias attempt that goalkeeper Lee Kyung-tae, who had been substituted onto the pitch due to an injury to Lee Chang-geun, could not get enough contact on to keep out.

With that being said, Daejeon looked imposing in the second-half, their substitutions bringing a renewed energy, and their attacking tactics causing consistent threat. As such, a composed Joo Min-kyu equaliser handed the Purples the initiative going into the final phase of proceedings, before a deft Kim Jun-beom lob secured the three points in some style.

Now, Daejeon have moved back into second place, ending Suwon’s four-game winning streak in the process.

What Else Happened in Round 25?

On Saturday, Gangwon FC played out an entertaining 0-0 draw with Gimcheon Sangmu. In what was a very physical contest, both sides created plenty of chances, forcing each keeper into several strong saves, but nobody quite had that clinical edge to take the three points for their team. Nevertheless, Gimcheon did have two goals ruled out for offside, so perhaps they will feel they edged proceedings overall.

Finishing the week was a Sunday night clash between Pohang Steelers and Gwangju FC, one which the home side came away from 1-0 victors. It was a well-managed outing from the Steelers, this, with the gritty basics on full display, meaning the Griffins never quite got the breaks they needed to draw level, or indeed return to the top-half.

And that’s all for this week! The K League returns again this coming Friday for three days of action as we draw closer to the climax of the regular season.